It was the Christmas of 2009. My brother gave me a book as a present, whose picture you can see below. I loved that book so much that I participated in the Human Document Project in 2010. That is another story, and shall be told another time. Today, I would like you to understand the concepts presented in this book.
James Lovelock formulated the hypothesis of Gaia, which proposes that organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet [Wikipedia]. In order words, a new vision about out planet Earth, considering it as a self regulator system. Gaia for me was the idea of considering the Earth as an alive system. When I read this book, whose original title is "The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back", I discovered this vision of the climate change as never heard before. If we considered Gaia's homeostasis, maybe the fate of humanity could be less devastating by providing some positive feedbacks into the system. There is a wide room for discussion here. In my opinion, you should read this book if you are really interested in global warming, future of human kind and the planet Earth. However, the topic of my post today focuses on the idea of planetary health. Let's called it Gaia, or Earth, at the end the question is: how can we diagnose the health of our planet, and what are the measures to "cure" it? The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health was launched in 2015, and its mission is to take care of that. I invite you to read more in the foundation website, and also a general article about planetary health can be found HERE.
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I remembered when I almost started a PhD some years ago on the aerodynamical study of birds flight. To me, with an aeronautical background, it sounded very interesting, as it covers different scientific disciplines from biology to physics, and can be applied to future technologies (e. g. robotics). My career path brought me to another field in the end, but I find always fascinating understanding life from a physical perspective. When I found this article, I wanted to share it with all of you right away. The article is published HERE, but you can also find the full article just by clicking on the image below. Enjoy the physics of nature! ![]()
I do not want to discuss religion here, neither faith, or even convictions.
Richard Dawkins has made enough to show the proofs of evolution to all those people who claim themselves to be creationists (by the way, if you haven't read any of his books, I can fully recommend to do so). If still some people disbelieve what Darwin said, just take a look at the skeletons of a Homo Erectus and ask yourself why it looks so similar to us. What I would like to share here is the fact that a scientist, a biologist, fully supports the idea of creationism, to the point that he wrote a book to proof the perfect design of life. Me, as an engineer, and a scientist, cannot believe it. Is it just a way to trigger a fight? It makes me tremendously angry... Ready to discuss with anyone who approves his deniable undeniable. Click on the picture below to read about his evidence agains Darwinism, what a laugh! What would happen to our planet if all humans disappeared? Enjoy the video! Scientist are starting to grow "dinosaur-like" parts on embryos. Find out more by clicking on the image below...
Also, lizards have been discovered in amber (more HERE). What is the next step? We all recognize Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex.. but every year new extinct species are discovered. And 2015 has been particularly lucky in this aspect. Discover more about these new exciting dinosaurs which existed once in our planet!
This time I would like to share an article about the next mass extinction. Do you think it is accurate? Share your thoughts! This is the first time I am sharing a Podcast. Hopefully you will enjoy it! Just click on the image below to access to it.
Do you remember the movie Gattaca? Perhaps you have read the book "A happy world"? Both stories show a future were the embryos could be or were designed. It has been an ethical discussion in last decades whether to modify genetically human beings should be practiced. To be honest, if I knew that my baby could have a genetic illness and by a modification the disease is prevented, wouldn´t I try it? But of course, genetic manipulation can go further.. A first step has been done by Chinese scientists. Click on the picture below and find out what! Please leave a comment in the forum if you would like to start a discussion on this topic.
At least it could serve for several meals.. Paleontology doesn't stop given us surprises, this time evidences of a giant shrimp has been found. To know more, click on the image below, don´t be scared!
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